Mr Humbug's birthday

Today its Wednesday - and it's Gary's birthday

We all made him cards - the girls did some encaustic art on theirs - yes I let them loose with an iron!!!

I need to make a chocolate cake today - but filled with cherries ( ala Black forest gateau) as Abigail doesn't like butter cream and he wants chocolate cake!!!

I did another BoM layout last night, but I don't think I will post - it's kind of a bit heavy the journaling on it -I did upload it onto Uks and then changed my mind.

The next one is hands - and I know what I am doing with that one, so may have a play later.

Hoping to get the website finalised now too over the next couple of days - so watch this space.

bbl with pics of cards and cake!!

A Book of Me and Chickenpox

After my frenzy of scrapping, it continued with avengance.

My friend, Sarah, has been following the prompts on UKS provided by Kirsty and Roz, to create a Book of Me (BoM). I had fancied doing it and made a note of all the prompts, but it never seemed the right time.

Well now it is!!

I started the first one on my last post (I am) and then I continued with three more over the next couple of days

The next prompt was "One Day", for this layout lo I used sage green card stock , book images to create circle and title (cut with robo) and lots of writing!

The next prompt was "If I didn't". By this time I was being co-erced into doing a layout with a BoM that included a picture of me - this is what it's all about they kept telling me so..........

I used green paper and card and made a feature of the journalling and title as opposed to the photo - for obvious reasons!!!

Then today I completed the "You" prompt. We had to use the word You in the title or within our journalling, and also an extra challenge of using at least 4 patterned papers or gold somewhere on the lo.

I wrote another poem (???:lol:??) for this layout about why I love you (my children). I used basic grey urban couture and made it into a circular lo. I used three gold three eyelets - one for each of the children.

And then last night as I bathed the children, Georgia's top of her arms and neck were covered in small red pimply spots. I had ruled out chickenpox immediately as she had it as a tiny baby, after Abigail had had it. It could of been a reaction to the jumper she was wearing, or by today we decided it could be prickly heat -- uurrgghhhhhh I can't say those words without shivering !!

Anyway I booked her in at the doctor's and yes it does appear she has chickenpox!! The doctor said she must of had a mild dose when small and now its the full blown thing - her spots are everywhere now!!

So we have medicine and calamine lotion, she's ok within herself - watch this space.

So much for them going back to school though eh?

Right off to think about the next challenge :

an emotion and a colour

xx

So much for daily updates !!!

I had a bad week the week before last - a combination of three things I think:

- lost in limbo re moving house and stuff - we're no further on than we were twelve months ago really,
- also bad weather holiday blues
- and memories of twelve months ago

the three mixed together didn't make a happy humbug, but as the weather perked up last week I started to feel much better, and what a week we had!!!

On Monday we went to the swiming baths - a first for me to take all three into our local pool together - only because now Abigail is eight I am allowed to take two others under eight!!

On Tuesday we were going to go to Whitby, but once I realised I would use a full tank of petrol in my fuel guzzling jeep ( and a tank full costs at least £70) I decided it wasn't really practical, so we toyed with Blackpool and Fleetwood - going on the tram too!! Then I priced up getting there on the train, and decided that would be cheaper.

So we set off on the bus and then caught the train to Blackpool, wandered on the beach a while and then caught the tram into Fleetwood. We found the market and had a wander round and then found a chippy and sat and ate fish and chips by the sea. As Abigail said they were delicious!!!

We had a wander and then got the train back into Blackpool, went down some of the golden mile to look for buckets and spades!! - although the tide was in by this time!! We sat down with an ice-cream and then went back to the beach for donkey rides and to collect treasures - as you do!!

On Wednesday we went back to Blackpool, this time to the zoo. We took my mum and this time went in the car. It was a lovely day and we had a great time wandering round looking at the animals - including the new dinosaur park and the "eructing volcano".

I am not boring with you pics here cos I am going to make the trips into lo's so you'll see then!!!

On Saturday I went to the Leeds extravangza - a twelve hour crop from ten til ten!! - although I only stayed til just before 6pm. After a barren two months of no scrapping and to be honest very little enthusiam to even start - we were given four challenges - two were classes to make two lo's and a little bucket and a cotton bag to alter. I set myself a task of doing all four before 5pm - and I did it!!

and then my lo's - I did Georgia first and to be honest that is my favourite, the second class I used for Abigail was using Basic Grey (not my favourite anyway) and the papers (a maths sheet - I can't recall the range) didn't really suit the picture. Anyway they broke the block as you will see!!!

So that seemed to break the mould for me and yesterday afternoon, I did a dlo of Sam at Blackpool

I used coastal and chocolate bazzil - k and co ( i think) paper, brown jumbo rik rak and journalling stamps, also amm vellum stickers for the quote.

Following my new delivery of my new mag on a direct sub (at long last) I had an idea for a title; I had a go at making my own ghost letters - I used acetate cut on robo for the exploring bit of title and then I decorated with alcohol inks.
To stamp the word beach, I used some children's bath letters and brown ink.

Later that evening I decided to make a start on my book of me I have been thinking about for a while. On UKs there are monthly prompts on a challenge thread - the first one (about nine months ago !!) was "I am", so I decided last night in a spare hour to make a start.

The idea just came to me quite easily after a few first thoughts of what to do for "I am"

I decided to use my favourite picture of Gary on our wedding day, and I combined this mustard cardstock and scrapbook walls ( I think pp) - using blue and mustard to represent his wedding attire.

I used a blue flower - that I won in a game of pass the parcel at the Leeds crop!! - and a gold brad to represent our gold wedding rings

I wanted to write a few words about why I love my husband and what he means to me, but as I wrote it just seemed to flow out of my pen as a sort of poem really. So after a few adjustments here and there, this was the end result:

We fell in love together,
We were joined together,
We created four children,
together;
We lost a child together,
We have cried together,
We have laughed together,
We live life;
together.
I love you .... for ever
xx

So after a barren two months scrapping wise - I managed to complete the equivalent of five lo's - over a weekend!!!!

Long may it continue!!!!

I got tagged

yeah thanks jemm

I got tagged my Jemm last night http://scrapping-with-the-squirrels.blogspot.com/

- which makes me a Rockin' Girl Blogger - apparently!!

Now i need to tag five others so here goes:

http://kirsty262.blogspot.com/ - Kirsty from Leeds

http://cardboredkitty.blogspot.com/ - a good freind from Yorkshire

http://eatbreathesleepscrap.blogspot.com/ - Natalie from Leeds

http://jackiehunter.typepad.com/its_all_me/ - formerly crafymum1971 - a cj freind whom i make laugh!!!

http://melissalsmith.blogspot.com/ - my team leader and adoptee - tinker

so go ladies and put the blinkie in your blog and tag five!!!!

And so my exciting news about 4 days later than intended

Here it is - my new venture - with a lot of help

notlawcards - providing handmade cards and gifts - completely personalised if required - cards, pendants, bookmarks, works of art, clocks - if you want it - i will do it

and here it is live !!!!!!

http://www.notlawcards.co.uk

There is only a holding page at the moment, we need to work on the site content - but humbug is live!!!!!!

omg!!!

I was all set to recommence my daily blogs and I had some really exciting stuff to share and was just about to do all this on friday morning and finish my draft post re our days out last week when i had to rush Gary to A and E with his stomach cramps he'd been having since the weds.


So what a weekend it turned out to be - I myself have more or less lived at Royal Blackburn Hospital - or whatever its new name is now!!!

We never really found out whilst there what the problem was other than an inflamed bowel, but on discharge the sheet said diverticulitis (I think thats how it was spelt). He was treated with antibiotics and painkillers - which in the end he refused as they sent him "weird".

He eventually came home on Monday morning, had some dinner and fell asleep. I had to go back to the hospital to get his medicines to bring home.

At the moment he is being a good patient, which shows to me at least that he is still poorly
xx

A Day in the Wild

Yesterday we went to the Wild Boar Park. It is such good value - so reasomably priced and each year you see how the money has been utilised , there is always something new so you never feel ripped off.

As we were travelling, Abigail said she was going to feed ALL the animals, now she was eight - yeah right

And sure enough Georgia is feeding anything and everything, and Abigail and Sam are too scared, although Abigail did attempt the goats.


We then went on the little walk, searching for flowers and birds and the like.


Sam was a bit of a wuss again - "It's very dark - I don't like the dark mummy". He's really gonna have to toughen up somewhat!!!

So after our walk we found a picnic bench and had our dinner, which the children seemed to enjoy as always.

After lunch they went to try out their luck in the park for a while. Little Miss No Fear ? Well her fave item was the zip wire, time and time again she went on. Then they played on the swings and the tractor and the like.

We went another little walk where they had to look for signs with different animals on, right the way up to the top of the hill and then back down for a ride in the barrels followed by an ice cream!!!


Another play in the park whilst we had a brew and then time for home!!!


Wednesday

On Wednesday we went to the local park, it was my intention that the children would play whilst I sat and read Harry Potter, and that in itself worked quite well.

It was a difficult day though, the last time I had been to this particular park had been almost twelve months ago with Lisa and her children.

The girls remarked on this almost as soon as we arrived which didn't really help, but we stayed and enjoyed, so that has been laid to rest.
xx

It's been a while - but Humbug's back

It has been a while, I was going to start last time catching up with stuff but there has been so much to catch up with I didn't really know where to start - recording Abigail's birthday in June for goodness sake - her birthday was two months earlier LOL

Visit from Grandpa

So Gary's dad came to visit us in May - that was so fabulous to see him - it had been over two years - Sam had gone from being a a baby, to very mucch the little boy.

It was quite sad again to see George leave at the airport, I am never prepared for how I feel.

But we're hoping to get out to South Africa at Christmas pending our second house sale - so fingers crossed.

New Boat

Whilst George was here we sold the boat, and whilst he was here Gary bought a boat!!! Obsessive I think the word is !!!

This pic shows Gary and his dad doing a trial run of the inflation and testing the engine in the garden, unfortunatley they didn't have the same level of success when they took it to Windemere the following week!!

Leeds Paper Dolls

After life had returned to normal, I finally got to meet my freinds in Leeds - the Leeds Paper Dolls - I have been chatting to these guys on UKs for ages now, and they seem so nice, but I knew I would never get to meet them as they have their crops on a Saturday and our girls dance their way through most of Saturday.

But dancing finishes over the holidays, Abigail was away at Brownie Pack Holiday; so Georgia and I went "over the big hill to ther other side" and met everyone.

It was so lovely to put names to faces, and personalities too - we had a great day and I will scrap that day later and share.

STOP PRESS

My very exciting news - is my new business venture - I have kept very quiet about this up to now, but I have been selling my handmade cards, with much sucess. I have a friend who is shipping them out almost faster than I can make them, and I am currently being stocked in two shops. I have eveloved to the art side too including bookmarks and even jewellery.

I have been making pendants such as these, my own one which was the first I made is still my favourite, I will scan that later to show you.

My Clock

And then, I made a clock!! I got the idea from UKs on a thread that was talking about making gifts for the teachers, and one lady (forgot her name now - sorry) had altered a clock, and I thought that was a nice idea, so I bought a clock and altered it using those dreaded BG Urban Couture papers (they are lovely but I loathe working with them). Anyway I used it and a picture of each of the children and the one with the three of them and the poem that I wrote.

I used wet glue and I intend to mod podge it - but you may recall I hate using it - cos it always seems to spoil when it buckles, but I am more hopeful this time - just need to muster up some courage!!!!

So thanks to Jemm for the mod podge (you know who you are sweetie LOL)

There is a serious design fault on the clock, which has caused some amusement - but fortunatley I have rectified that now - on the picture at least - but you learn by your mistakes don't you? !!!

back later
xxx

Our eldest daughter is eight.... 8 - how time flies.....

Well here she is - eight years old!!

We got up and she opened her cards and presents. We had a quiet morning, and part of her gift from us was to be taken out for lunch. So we went to the local Brewer's Fayre, they have an outside playground there too. So the three of them played (mum came too - but she didn't play LOL) and then we went in to eat. I think they had chicken nuggets and Sam had fishfingers, and then came the puddings - Sam wanted ice cream, but both the girls had a chocolate fondue - it looked scrummy.

This was during the Easter holidays at school. Prior to her birthday we went to Kendal for the day, begging a lift from Gary. We had a lovely day out, wandering round, we went to the ruined castle, which they all enjoyed, we went to the park and then sat eating our dinner down by the river, and Gary came out too.

On the Sunday before going back to school we had abigail's party - much the same as Georgia's - a craft party. The girls painted plates and t-shirts, played some games and made some bling accessories for their bags - oh and they made their tea too - pizzas!!!

So we have Abigail painting her plate, all the t-shirts drying and my final masterpiece of the year !!!!

its been a while - and a lots been happening

well so much for daily updates !!!!

since my last post, we have had Abigail's birthday.

we had gary's letter through saying he has now been fully accepted in post following his long six month probation period - so now life can continue. Following this we can now get our house on the market and try and find somewhere new to live. So i have been blitzing the house - and throwing what seems like everything away!!!

Also my Father in law has been staying with us from South Africa, so i had to stop blitzing and prepare the house for a guest!! He stayed for three weeks with us, and his was just so fabulous to see him.

So i shall satrt from the beginning...........

Revision, revision, revision

The poem I posted here the other day, was in it's raw form. I have revised and revised and revised. Here is the final version now placed into my cj entry - packed and ready to post tomorrow

My Children, My Life

I hold so much love inside me,
Who else could I bestow it to,
If not them?

I bore them, gave life,
To them;
I would relinquish my life,
For them;
I cannot envisage my life,
Without them.

My life would not be complete,
Without my children.

I have also finished all my sample cards ready to give to my potential outlet, finished the two that were sold last week - my first sale!!!!! and finished a couple of others for friends too - one more to do.

I got an email today from a quote site, the prompt I have chosen is
We can't all be heroes because somebody has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.
-- Will Rogers

This afternoon we are going to do our egg hunt and then I have lots of pictures to take too!!! - the children and their eggs, and then my cards before they go .........

We went to my mum and dads for our tea yesterday (Easter Sunday), that was nice; busy week planned this week too - we seemed to have missed a lot last week with me being ill.

Tuesday I will probably go to the shops and get the girls kitted out with new school pumps and school dresses for the summer - if se need them - depends how much they grew!!

Wednesday Sam will be back at nursery, and I have to take my cards to my PR person and get some stuff fixed on the PC too hopefully.

Thursday we will go to Kendal weather permitting, seeing as that got postponed last week with me being ill. I think to be honest we're destined not to go!! Also I will have a cake to bake - something simple though.

Friday of course is Abigail's birthday, Sam will be in nursery, and after that I am thinking of taking them to the family pub up the road and treating them to lunch - might make Abigail feel grown up - now she's eight!! Eight - where did those years go????

Saturday life will be semi normal again - dancing restarts, and I will get the last bits for Abigail's party on sunday - that should be straightforward enough - we had a dress rehearsal really with Georgia's!!!

Busy busy busy

Creative Writing

Since doing the big Picture Scrapbooking class - my word - i am hooked on writing. As part of the class we had prompts from amy sorensen, three a week, to write about in our writers notebook. This was just to get us used to writing about different things.

On the message board there have been a few suggestions as to websites that have random prompt generators and such like; I have decided that every other day I will post one of those here, and write about it in my notebook. If anyone wants to joing me then please do.

There was also a suggestion by someone who may set up a yahoo group so all us classmates can go and chat, bounce ideas around and get feedback from each other. It sounds a great idea and I hope it takes off.

I am currently trying to do a layout for a cj entry - "Life would not be complete without my...... ". I know my entry will complete with "children".

I was debating with myself yesterday how to actually do the layout, should I use some poems I have as to why I love each of them, or something else. A friend suggested I write a poem. Yeah right!!!! Late last night I mentioned this to the class in BPS - and they were all like - "yeah - go for it". But as I drifted off to sleep downstairs with my cot phobic son, a poem entered my head.

My cot phobic son!! Poor Sam, I don't know what is wrong with him; as soon as you mention bed he starts crying. Normally once we have got him to sleep he remains in his cot, but last night he woke at about midnight and that was that!! I am shattered.

Anyway I digress, my poem.......


Life would not be complete
without my children
I have so much love inside me,
Who else would I give it to
If not them?
I gave them a life,
I would give them my life,
I cannot envisage my life
Without them

worksheet 3 - senses

hi again

this is my assignment i just did for week 3.
I am quite pleased with the way it came out, although to be honest it looks a bit like a mismatch of colours and i would like to take this chance to explain that.

I started off using the turquoise and yellow cardstock to symbolise hot and cold seasons, and then i realised they could also be construed as sea and sand too. On that basis I printed my journalling onto white card and a grey colour to epitomise the cliffs, and i printed with green and inked the egdes grees to construe the green tufts of grass that protrude.

I also matted the photos and title with a rocky sort of paper - no idea who made it.

Finally the five circles are symbols of the five senses used to create the journalling.

The journalling itself was interesting to do, as we have been taught to mix and match the way we write and not just write listing the various senses, additionally we are being taught not to write chronolgically so in addition to mixing up the senses writing I have tried to mix up the two different visits too - not easy....

Thanks for looking........

A freind has just told me that you couldn't click on this image uploaded earlier to enlarge it - so i'm trying again

This morning I have some journaling for my class I was struggling with using the sense, I am quite chuffed with it too to be honest.

I'll make that into a lo later, but this afternoon me and the children are planting apple seeds. They have asked to do this, they want to grow their own appleas, but I think they will be dissappointed at tea time when there arn't any apples on the tree!!

BPS layouts

Following my kick up the behind from Anso, and getting rid of my fuzzy head, I carried on with my layouts for the BPS class

The lo above is My fave place - in week two we had to write and revise about our favourite place and then make it into a layout. Although it is a dlo I have kept them separate in the hope that you may be able to read the journalling better - being that that is what the class is about !!!

Week three was all about the senses and emotions, and although I understood it all, I have struggled to put that onto a layout so I may come back to that later.

Week four, that was all about revision of the journalling. My week 4 lo was about when the girls were bridemaids last summer. There is a phot collage on the LHS and although it is hard to see some pics are matted and some are raised using foam squares, but that doesn't come across to well in the scan.

I have to say, that with all the photos, or the size of them and all those words my lo's at the moment leave little room for much else so my scrapping style is becoming very basic!!!

I guess with practice I'll get there

Thanks for looking

best laid plans

Today is the second day of the school holidays - technically anyway - we was supposed to be bagging a lift with Gary this morning. I was going to take the children to Kendal for the day. But I feel like death warmed up - so this afternoon instead we are going to watch happy feet and get out the popcorn!! Hopefully I can get some much needed sleep then too - perhaps!

I received all the pdf's today from the first emails from the desing collective - they look quite good - but i have little enthusiam right now for anything!!

Gary has put the boat onto ebay - I want to say again - but of course that was a different boat LOL - poor FIL - he is destined never to become a seafarer or a river farer - with us at least !!!

He is coming to visit us at the end of May, so everyone is looking forward to that. The girls keep asking me if three weeks is a long time (the length of time he is visiting) and if he will bringing a toothbrush and some clothes - so George when you read this - don't forget your toothbrush!!!!

My computer was infected yesterday with a virus - it took three hours to scan and found all sorts of rubbish - but it's behaving today at least anyways.

Can't think of much else now, so I am going to log off and do very little!!!

Bye for now!

Croc Day and the return of Dr Who

Today was an expensive day!!

Went to dance class as normal with the girls, and went to the market to get a few craft bits - Abigail hates going to that stall - she says I take too long!!!

We went to the local shoe shop to look at crocs - they said they wanted some with their birthday money from my mum. But they didn't have in Georgia's size so we left it.

After we got home, I took the girls into Accrington - they wanted to go to the pound shop to get something and I wanted some bunches of those fake flowers to make some more cards up too, and some other craft bits.

Before Accrington we went to Winfields, they didn't have pink for Georgia but she decided on yellow, and Abigail chose purple instead of the pink she had liked earlier!! They didn't have pink for me though - not particularly happy but hey ho!! I said to the lady on the till I was a bit dissapointed, and she told me to try the other side of the mill as they have some there too - so we did - and now I am the proud owner of some fuschia crocs!!! And on the other side we saw some purple ones in Georgia's size - so she changed her mind and we went to customer services to sort that out!

And then as time was pressing on and I hadn't even thought about tea, I treated them all to MacDonalds on the way home.

And then they were really happy - as after bath time - Doctor Who returned!!! Abigail loves Dr Who - Georgia is scared but doesn't want to miss anything - so she sits on my knee quaking behind my shoulder!!! LOL

back tomorrow

I don't know where all the nice weather went to, at the weekend the girls and I went onto the tops, I wanted to take some pics for my BPS layout, although I seem to be getting further behind with that!!!! I'm not alone though LOL

I wanted to take some sort of different pics too as well as my panoramic shot above - what do you think??



This week has kind of flown by really.

On Tuesday I took the children to the park on the way home from school - the weather was glorious.


I was a bit miffed on Wednesday to say the least. I went to Brownies and I went into the little room where they were finishing off the Rainbow evening to be told Georgia had just done her promise ceremony. Like why wasn't I told?? They said they had given letters, but Georgia only brought home the words she had to learn, nothing to actually say she was doing it. NOT happy. It was especially made worse cos Gary had come home early and could of watched too.

So we did the photo stuff the day after instead.



By Thursday the weather had turned, and the rain came back!! Abigail had a freind round for tea, and today Georgia had her freind round. It was the first time she had had tea out on her own anywhere, and after about an hour got really upset - for no particular reason - and wanted to go home !!! So I rang her mum, and she came to get her; then Georgia was upset cos she had gone!!!

I have been quite busy this week making cards, I have been given the most amazing potential opportunity via a freind to start selling some, so at the moment I am making some samples up - although they never seem good enough - not to sell - I have incredible self doubt. But I guess we watch this space!! Time will tell.

That's all for now

It's Great to be a Souf Efrikan

I received this email the other day via gary, via my FIL, any south africans reading should appreciate it more than most!!!!

This is a great country because:
1. You can eat raw half dried meat and not be considered disgusting.
2. Nothing is your fault, you can blame it all on apartheid.
3. You get to buy a new car every 3 months and the insurance company even pays for it.
4. You can experience kak service in eleven official languages.
5. Where else can you get oranges with 45% alcohol content at rugby matches?
6. It's the only country in the world where striking workers show how angry they are by dancing.
7. You're considered clumsy if you cannot use a cell phone (without car kit), change CDs,
drink a beer, put on make-up, read the newspaper and smoke, all at the same time while
driving a car at 160 kph in a 60 kph zone.
8. Great accent. (!!!)
9. If you live in Johannesburg, you get to brag about living in the most dangerous city in the
world.
10. Burglar bars become a feature, and a great selling point for your house.
11. You can decorate your garden walls with barbed wire.
12. The tow-trucks are the first on the scene for most major crimes, without being called.
The police you have to call about three times.
13. Votes have to be recounted until the right party wins.
14. Illegal immigrants leave the country because the crime rate is too high.
15. The police ask you if they must follow up on the burglary you've just reported.
16. Where a murderer gets a 6 month sentence and a pirate TV viewer 2 years.
17. The prisoners strike and get to vote in elections!
18. The police stations have panic buttons to call armed response when they are burgled
19. Police cars are fitted with immobilisers and gearlocks!

Onwards and upwards

Well after a bit of a rollercoaster ride there for a few days, I am getting back on track with stuff.

I blitzed the girls' room yesterday - again!!! After school we went to the park, the weather is becoming really nice at the moment, lets hope it lasts into the easter holidays next week!!!

Sam's a bit poorly at the mo, he's fully of a cold and coughing and spluttering all the time!

I am really pleased to say that Abigail is ALMOST riding her bike now - gee it's been a long time coming, she seems to really struggle with her co-ordination. She's really settled again at school, she has a new group of friends so is away from the other girls who were causing her problems, so I am dead chuffed there too. Re her headaches she was having, it did cross my mind if it was migraines, they could be caused by citrus, as before her last bout she had eaten loads of tangerines over a few days. I have been giving them to her again just to see, but so far she's A OK. Fingers crossed it was just a cluster of head pains and nothing more serious.

I have been learning too to give her more freedom, she's been playing out on her own of late and walking round the block etc, on sunday she went up onto the tops behind us on her own. she likes the independance, she also learned at the weekend how to brew up - this could become very useful for us!!!! But right now every second she seems to be asking "do you want a cup of tea or coffee?" Bless !!!

I have just been given the potential to sell some some handmade cards, my head is buzzing with all sorts of ideas, so now is the time to get them down onto paper - literally!!! I need to make some samples up and then away we go.....onwards and upwards ......